Kent Tonight - Monday 14th August 2023
Catch up on the latest news from across the county with Abby Hook.
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00:30 >> Good evening and welcome to Cancer Night live on KMTV.
00:34 I'm Abbey Hook.
00:35 Here are your top stories on Monday the 14th of August.
00:39 We're devastated.
00:41 Canterbury Christchurch blunder leaves hundreds
00:44 of nurses unqualified and jobless.
00:46 >> I was counting the days
00:48 to get my employment contract from the hospital.
00:52 >> A tragic loss.
00:54 Dover council leader urging government to speed
00:57 up processing of migrants.
00:59 >> I think we've got the worst backlog
01:02 in Europe possibly after Germany.
01:04 >> And taking a swing.
01:07 Rochester tennis club teaching amateur athletes pro performance.
01:11 >> A lot of my players did start from a beginner level
01:14 and so they kind of all appreciate where,
01:17 you know, they're coming from.
01:19 [ Music ]
01:29 >> First tonight, dreams dashed and graduate jobs on hold
01:33 as around 200 final year nursing students
01:36 from Canterbury Christchurch have been told
01:38 they're unqualified.
01:39 A miscalculation of placement hours due
01:42 to the pandemic has seen students having to delay
01:45 and in some cases give up their first medical jobs
01:47 to finish their degrees.
01:49 The university has apologised
01:50 and says students won't be financially worse off.
01:53 Gabriel Morris has this report.
01:55 >> We've all seen headlines, NHS hospitals understaffed.
02:00 A new influx of newly qualified nurses
02:03 from Canterbury Christchurch were hoping to ease pressure.
02:06 But a miscalculation of placement hours has seen
02:09 around 200 final year students unqualified.
02:13 And many of those students had already secured jobs
02:16 at hospitals.
02:18 That's now in limbo as they have to go back
02:20 and complete their placement hours.
02:22 Sam was meant to be starting his first full-time NHS job today.
02:28 >> It's devastating.
02:30 For the clinical hours, we need to do 40 hours a week
02:34 and then if we're paid for that time, then that's okay.
02:38 If we're not and we're expected to do the 40 hours a week unpaid,
02:42 then we will have to do additional hours working
02:45 on top so if somebody worked 12 hours a week,
02:48 you'd be doing 52 hours a week to make up for your income.
02:51 >> Ashley was about to buy a house.
02:54 She's now worried without a work contract, she won't be able
02:58 to secure for property.
02:59 >> Personally, I was counting the days
03:02 to get my employment contract from the hospital.
03:06 I'm afraid due to this delay, our offer will be denied
03:11 by the property brokers.
03:14 It's very crucial for me to buy a property
03:17 within the walking distance outside on drive due
03:20 to a health condition.
03:21 >> For most students impacted, they started their course
03:23 in 2020 and it was the images of frontline NHS staff
03:27 that inspired many.
03:29 Ultimately, the pandemic led to the miscalculation.
03:32 Hours were reduced during the pandemic with 30 hours
03:36 of clinical practice and 10 at home.
03:38 But in January 2022, clinical regulations went pre-COVID,
03:44 back to 40 hours.
03:46 And it's these hours, students say,
03:49 has led to the miscalculation.
03:51 >> Ultimately, the wards are so short of nurses anyway.
03:56 So you can imagine employers are really disappointed as well
04:00 because they thought they were having lots
04:01 of new people joining them.
04:03 And all of a sudden, the break has been put on that as well.
04:06 And again, you know, you can't emphasize enough how important
04:11 it is that they do get those hours in.
04:12 How it's happened is not great, but it is important
04:15 for patient safety as well.
04:17 >> A Canterbury Christchurch University spokesperson said,
04:21 "We've apologised to our students for this oversight
04:24 and are meeting with them as a matter of urgency
04:27 to discuss the practical consequences.
04:29 The financial impact on students will be addressed
04:32 and they won't be worse off.
04:33 We're also working with NHS partners to secure job offers."
04:37 Both Sam and Ashley say they're still unsure how many hours
04:40 they'll have to make up.
04:42 But waiting for further clarity from the university.
04:45 Gabriel Morris for KMTV in Canterbury.
04:48 >> And we'll keep you up to date about that story
04:51 as we get more information.
04:52 A man has been charged with attempted murder
04:55 after a stabbing near Margate.
04:56 Police were called shortly after midnight yesterday to Craven Close
05:00 in Garlinge where they found a man had been injured.
05:03 He was taken to a London hospital where he remains
05:05 in a serious but stable condition.
05:07 Craig Judd of Fulham Avenue has been charged
05:09 with attempted murder.
05:10 The 25-year-old was also charged with possession
05:12 of an offensive weapon in a public place.
05:14 A 22-year-old man from Broadstairs was also arrested
05:18 and remains in custody while inquiries continue.
05:20 Next tonight, it shouldn't happen again but it will.
05:26 The words of Dover District Council's leader in response
05:29 to the death of six attempting to cross the channel
05:31 in the early hours of Saturday morning.
05:33 Kent politicians and organisations are urging
05:36 for a rethink in how the UK government processes migrants
05:40 and some have fears more will lose their lives.
05:42 As Sophia Akin reports.
05:44 After six migrants died crossing the English Channel this
05:48 weekend, local charities
05:50 and politicians are urging the government to find safe routes
05:54 and rethink how they process migrants.
05:57 It comes after a boat carrying 65 people capsized at 4am
06:02 on Saturday morning off the coast of France.
06:05 With this, the leader of Dover District Council is calling
06:08 on the government to focus on processing the backlog
06:11 of migrants as since 2018, we've had 100,000 coming to the UK.
06:18 We need to sit down and actually look at some safe routes
06:20 so there's the ability for individuals to apply.
06:23 If they've got the right, then fine.
06:26 If they haven't, then you deal with them accordingly.
06:28 You also need to speed up the process
06:31 of dealing with the backlog.
06:32 I think we've got the worst backlog
06:34 in Europe possibly after Germany.
06:37 You say the processing needs to speed up.
06:39 We've just seen 100,000 people have crossed since 2018.
06:44 So is there a way of doing this quicker?
06:46 How can it be processed?
06:48 How can they be processed quicker?
06:49 You need to employ the right number of staff to do it.
06:52 You need to, the resource just isn't there.
06:56 So you have to actually increase the number of processes.
06:58 That's the only way you can do it.
06:59 And amongst all this, politicians aren't the only ones
07:03 urging for safer routes.
07:05 There are options to look into that aren't being looked into.
07:09 With the Ukrainian situation, humanitarian visas were used
07:13 very successfully.
07:14 No Ukrainian person ever had to get into a small boat
07:19 or navigate the asylum system at all.
07:20 They were brought here safely and legally.
07:24 We have resettlement programmes.
07:26 The criteria are very narrow.
07:28 There's a lot of people, as I say, who have a legitimate claim
07:31 to be here and there is no safer legal route for them to do that.
07:35 The Home Office has said the deaths are devastating and that
07:38 their thoughts are with the victims' families and friends.
07:40 They said this incident is another reminder of the extreme
07:44 dangers of crossing the Channel in small boats and how vital
07:47 it is we break the people smugglers' business model and stop the boats.
07:51 With news almost 16,000 have made the crossing to Kent this
07:55 year alone, the chaplain for the port of Dover said we need
07:58 to be careful with how we're processing migrants.
08:02 Dover and Kent have been receiving refugees for centuries.
08:07 It's important that we welcome them and support them.
08:11 On the other hand, those who are coming purely for financial
08:15 motives, we have to work out what they are expecting,
08:20 demanding, wanting, which, and particularly when we aren't
08:27 in a position to give that to our own people.
08:28 Sophia Akin for KMTV.
08:32 Joining me in the studio is our reporter Sophia Akin and also
08:35 former Government Special Adviser Claire Pearsall.
08:38 Claire, thank you for joining us virtually.
08:40 Sophia, firstly, immigration has been a huge discussion recently.
08:44 You're right, Abbie, it feels like it's constantly in the
08:46 headlines at the moment.
08:47 Now, earlier this year, we heard the government announcing its
08:49 new policy, its new strategy, sorry, the Bibby Stockholm Barge,
08:54 which is a temporary processing facility for asylum seekers.
08:59 It can house up to 500 while their applications are being
09:02 processed. But this week it's come out that there were traces
09:06 of Legionnaire bacteria, which can actually cause the lung
09:09 infection, Legionnaire's disease.
09:11 And this was found in the water in the Bibby Stockholm Barge.
09:14 So not looking good that that's sort of come out.
09:17 I'd like to bring you in now, Claire.
09:19 Now, this is supposed to be a solution.
09:24 It's because to house them in hotels is currently costing
09:28 around £6 million a day, they say.
09:30 But is this actually just creating more problems?
09:33 Well, I think it is, because as you've highlighted, the Bibby
09:37 Stockholm had 39 migrants go aboard, which have all had to be
09:42 decanted now due to finding Legionnaire within the water
09:46 system. There is an argument ongoing as to who found out and
09:50 when between Dorset Council and the Home Office and the
09:53 contractors. But essentially, what we've now got is a huge
09:56 white elephant off the coast of Dorset.
09:59 Now, it's costing £6 million a day to house these asylum
10:04 seekers in hotels. We know the government's under immense
10:08 pressure. We've heard Steve Barclay saying that the migrants
10:13 could be going back into the barge despite these traces of
10:17 Legionnaire, Legionella, sorry, bacteria being found.
10:21 Is that a good idea?
10:24 I don't think it will be allowed. It's a very bad idea. I
10:27 can't see the Health and Safety Executive or the UK Health and
10:30 Security Agency allowing it to happen. Obviously, the
10:33 government needs to look at alternatives to hotel
10:36 accommodation, which is incredibly expensive. But in
10:39 your package, one of your contributors mentioned
10:42 processing. That surely has to be front and centre of any plan
10:46 that you have. If you process applications, you find people
10:49 who aren't supposed to be in the United Kingdom, then you can
10:52 look to remove them. By speeding up the process, you
10:54 wouldn't have to have so many hotels or the need of a barge or
10:58 many barges as the government would wish.
11:00 Now, I'd just like to remind viewers as well, the government
11:04 has said that currently none of those that were on the Baby
11:06 Stock Home are showing symptoms that they've caught this
11:09 disease. There's only traces of bacteria at the moment. The
11:12 government believes this is going to be a deterrent to make
11:16 people stop crossing the channel. Do you think that
11:19 they're moving in the right direction at all?
11:22 I think it's very hard to say whether it will be a deterrent
11:26 given that we had 1600 people cross the channel over the past
11:30 three days, which is an enormous number. So it hasn't had the
11:33 deterrent effect. And then when you see footage of people coming
11:37 off the barge, you've got to wonder what the government are
11:41 thinking and how they're going to work this plan. And it also,
11:45 the capacity is 500. We have, you know, over 100,000 sitting
11:50 there in the asylum system. So really, I don't think we've got
11:53 a deterrent effect at all.
11:55 Thank you for coming on the show, Claire, and thank you to
11:57 Sphere for the update. We'll be back after this break.
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15:20 Hello there and welcome back to Kent Tonight live on KMTV.
15:24 Police are calling for witnesses following a fatal collision near
15:28 Dover. The incident took place at half six on Sunday by the A256
15:32 Whitfield bypass. An orange Ford Ranger was travelling towards
15:36 Dover and was in the process of turning right into Sandwich Road
15:39 when it was involved in a collision with a black BMW M Sport,
15:43 which had been travelling towards Sandwich. A woman who was in
15:46 the passenger seat in the orange Ranger was confirmed dead at the
15:49 scene. Kent Police are asking for witnesses or those with dash
15:52 cam footage to get in touch. Now a fire, a takeaway owner has been
15:58 branded a hero after putting out a fire at a suspected arson attack
16:02 in Sheraton High Street. Here you can see Mufabeer Ali running
16:06 towards flames at the bottom of a co-op store with a fire extinguisher.
16:11 There he is now speaking to Kent Online. He said he was working in
16:14 his shop out the back when he heard his wife and a customer shouting
16:17 fire, fire. A police spokesman confirmed officers were called at
16:21 about 6.45pm yesterday to report that a man had started a fire at the
16:25 co-op. Maidstone Borough Council are warning residents to follow the
16:30 rules or they won't have their bins collected after the local
16:33 authority spent £25,000 on the issue in the last two months. They
16:38 say householders should take care of their waste so green bin
16:41 collection loads don't get rejected at processing centres. Dirty
16:45 nappies, black sacks, plastic bags and food waste are commonly
16:49 mixed in. Councillor Patrick Garton, Cabinet Member for Environmental
16:53 Services at the council, says if refuse collectors see that the wrong
16:57 materials are in the green recycling bins they'll not empty them and
17:00 will place a sticker on the bin saying it's contaminated.
17:05 As well as bin trouble in Maidstone, striking bin workers in Canterbury
17:09 have rejected a fresh salary offer which council leader Councillor
17:13 Alan Baldock says is a good day's pay for a full day's work. Bin men
17:18 employed by Cannon Co. walked out early July demanding drivers be
17:21 paid £15 an hour and loaders £12. The council says they met their
17:25 demands on salary in parity with neighbouring councils in full with
17:29 a new offer. But striking members of the GMB union have rejected the
17:33 deal. The offer was £15 an hour for drivers and £12 an hour for
17:37 loaders from January 2024 and staff were expected to work their full
17:41 contracted hours. Strike action is expected to continue for weeks.
17:46 And now let's catch up with some of the sports news from across Kent.
17:51 First, in Gillingham we'll look to continue their winning start to the
18:03 season as they face Sutton United on Tuesday evening. Ashley Nadeson's
18:07 first league goal was enough to secure a 1-0 victory against Accrington
18:11 Stanley and means Neil Harris, who's celebrating here, have won their
18:14 opening two games. Tomorrow the Gills will look to make it three wins
18:18 from three as they travel to the VBS community stadium to face Sutton
18:22 who lost to Barrow on the weekend. Speaking after the win on Saturday,
18:25 Harris said "It's a massive game. They're going to be really, really
18:29 good. So organised, so disciplined, aggressive and big. Well, all eyes to
18:33 tomorrow." Kent Spitfires continued their winning run in the Metrobank
18:38 One Day Cup as they defeated Middlesex by 134 runs with captain Jack
18:43 Leaning, starting with bat and ball once again. Leaning top scored with
18:47 68 as Kent posted 288 before claiming two key wickets as the visitors were
18:53 all out for 154 with 13.2 overs remaining. The skipper was one of five
18:59 Kent bowlers to finish with two wickets as Ben Compton and Daniel Bell
19:03 Drummond scored 58 and 60 respectively. This Thursday, Matthew Walker's
19:08 team return to the Spitfire ground as they welcome with the Nottingham
19:12 Shear Outlaws with an opportunity to make it four wins from six.
19:16 And finally, with the sports, we took a trip to a tennis club in
19:20 Rochester which provides training to new and improving players. It's
19:24 competitive but includes fun and games too. Our reporter Yinka Awate
19:28 took a swing and gave it a go.
19:30 Swing, toss, grip, serve. Tennis champs in Rochester can't go a week
19:36 without heading to the court for an evening of training and games.
19:40 Dan James Tennis, just within Thomas Aveling School, has provided
19:44 options for people who want to learn the sport and improve their skills.
19:48 I used to play tennis when I was a lot younger but I didn't play for
19:52 probably a good 20 odd years. And then I tried to get back into it and
19:59 I've been playing for about a year and a half since I got back into it.
20:03 Yeah, I think I'm struggling to get back to where I was when I was
20:07 younger but I'm getting there slowly.
20:09 Weekly trainings prepare the group for regional tournaments with other teams.
20:13 There's a Woodland Cups that we play. It's another event. We've been to
20:17 two already and there's one coming up this year. I think it comes up
20:22 about September, October. So we're looking forward to that. And apart
20:27 from that, we get invitations to play against each other.
20:30 Youngsters are not left out on this drive for a future with tennis.
20:35 [Players talking]
20:40 It's more about getting that base level right, teaching them the hand-eye
20:44 coordination things. It might not even look like tennis at the beginning
20:47 but we're helping them get that hand-eye coordination and that physical literacy.
20:52 I'm seeing really good progress and he looks forward to it every week.
20:56 He's making friends and also learning about the game, the rules, the
21:02 techniques, building his skills. It's fantastic.
21:05 On Mondays, female players have their own space to compete with one
21:09 another and win points.
21:11 I've really, really improved a lot. I mean, I'm still like not professional
21:18 level, obviously, but I definitely have improved. From someone who's
21:24 never really played tennis before, I can now hit the ball, which I'm told
21:29 is quite important.
21:31 I even got on the racket myself.
21:34 [Player talking]
21:36 But there needs to be more improvement. Oh, there we go.
21:40 They may not be Serena Williams or Novak Djokovic, but these players do
21:44 not joke with their racket game.
21:46 A lot of my players did start from a beginner level and so they kind of all
21:51 appreciate where they're coming from, so it's a very welcoming environment
21:55 for that kind of player as well. But the drills can be adapted and have
22:00 been adapted over those times to kind of make sure that people are
22:03 challenged appropriately for their skill level.
22:06 Get your tennis shoes ready because whether you're a novice or a lost
22:09 sheep in the pro world, you can add this sport to your list of things to
22:13 do in Medway. Yinka Awate for KMTV in Rochester.
22:18 With hotter temperatures predicted for the UK this week, let's take a look
22:22 at the forecast for us here in Kent.
22:25 [Music]
22:30 Fairly warm this evening, lows of 15, highs of 17, a little wind too,
22:35 cloudy skies by the coast. Tomorrow morning, warming up to 20 in Margate,
22:39 staying clear across most of Kent, cloud in the west.
22:43 By the afternoon, more cloud breaking up that sunshine, highs of 23 in
22:46 Dartford and Maidstone, 19 in Dover.
22:49 And the next few days look like this, not quite 31 degrees as in some parts
22:53 of England, mid to low 20s, a mix of sun and cloud, clear skies Friday.
22:57 [Music]
23:05 Now, celebrating diversity, community and most importantly, pride, a
23:10 rainbow of activities are set for Rochester this week.
23:13 Medway Pride 2023 has arrived and with it bringing thousands in unity from
23:17 across the county. Last year, 8,000 people attended the Medway Pride,
23:21 an increase of 500% from the year before. So can Medway's biggest pride event
23:25 just keep getting bigger? Well, with me now to kick off the week of
23:29 celebrations, organiser Hilary Cook is in the studio.
23:32 Thank you so much for coming in Hilary. Firstly, some of the events we have
23:36 today, we've got a little leaflet here, tell me what's been going on.
23:39 Well, today we've been having some workshops where people can make badges
23:45 and items that they can take to pride, intra arts. And this evening we've got
23:52 a talk about, we're open to people contacting us with questions.
24:00 It's a talk around about pride, the issues that affect the community
24:04 and that's at Sunpear House this evening.
24:06 Amazing. We can see on the screen now some of the pictures from last year,
24:10 some of the videos, so much fun. I think it's probably one of the most
24:13 colourful and fun events you'll see. Now we see pride happen a lot on the
24:17 weekends and stuff, but this is for a whole week. Why do you think that's
24:20 important? Well, pride started out as a bit of a protest movement, it was part
24:26 of the civil rights movement when it began back in New York. And of course
24:32 as more rights and equality has been attained for parts of the community,
24:37 it's turned more into a celebration of the community. But we in Medway,
24:44 we like to spread the word, not just on the day of a celebration event,
24:51 but to have talks about subjects that matter and giving people more
24:57 opportunity to become involved with pride through the pride fringe events.
25:03 How have attitudes changed towards pride itself and more widely the
25:08 LGBTQ+ community? We had the Medway Pride Awards in June, do you think
25:13 that's changed some attitudes? I think attitudes are always improving
25:19 among the general public. Unfortunately, some of the media have been
25:28 writing fairly negative stories against particularly the trans community.
25:33 But in general, organisations and people in general, things have been
25:39 improving as barriers have been broken down and pride is all about that
25:43 awareness. We're all just the same as everybody else, just trying to get on
25:48 in life. It's an incredible celebration that brings in so many people from
25:52 outside the community and within, it's sort of that unity and I suppose
25:56 education as well. We've got about a minute left of the show, so I have
26:00 to ask you this week, what are you looking forward to the most?
26:03 Well, I think after working on it for months and months, the actual
26:06 pride event in Rochester Castle, that's going to be a fabulous event.
26:10 We've got some great acts, we've got Sam Bailey on who's headlining
26:16 and another headliner is a Rochester resident, Tara MacDonald,
26:20 whose dance chart hits record awards, as well as Jamie Johnson.
26:28 A whole community together as well, it's really pride and honour,
26:32 a very community event. Well Hilary, thank you so much for coming in.
26:34 We'll catch up with you as well to see how the event went and how many
26:37 people came as well, but thank you so much.
26:39 Thank you for inviting us.
26:41 That's all for Kent Tonight this evening, but just before we go, we have
26:45 another episode of Invicta Sports straight after Kent Tonight.
26:48 See you then.
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